Nutritional Supplement and Bone Health in Post-Menopausal Women (MBPS)

Study Design: A block randomised, cross-over design of 24h rates of bone turnover in healthy, post-menopausal women with osteopenia receiving either a milk-based protein supplement (MBPS) or isoenergetic placebo control (PLACEBO).

Participants: 16 Post-menopausal women with osteopenia as determined by site-specific bone mineral density BMD (DXA) diagnosed and screened by a clinician and for dietary intake of calcium and Vit D by a clinical dietitian.

Subject screening (clinical examination) and dietary intake of calcium and Vit D (by food frequency questionnaire) will precede the experimental protocol.

Experimental protocol and data collection:

Subjects will attend for a 2 day and 2 night (overnight) residence equipped to conduct residential human trials.

The subjects' programmed protocol is as follows;

1. Arrive @ 17:00h with overnight bag;
2. Empty bladder and then provide and retain urine samples for the duration of the stay (assisted collection by researchers);
3. Consume a standardised evening meal (pre-prepared by the research dietitian) and then relax reading/watching films etc;
4. At 20:00h a research nurse will insert a cannula into a superficial arm vein and a blood draw (5ml) will be taken and processed for later analysis;
5. Further blood draws (5ml) will be taken at 22:00h, 2300h, 2400h,0100h and 0200h and the cannula withdrawn;
6. At 22:00h consume either placebo control (PLACEBO) (day 1) OR supplement (MBPM)(day 2) - or vice versa - in randomised order.
7. Retire to bedroom;
8. Consume a standardised breakfast and lunch (pre-prepared by the research dietitian) whilst living in and around the University grounds (i.e. in close proximity to ensure 24h urine collection is complete);
9. Repeat from 2 above to end of 2nd day.